DESIGN OF AN AGRICULTURAL PLATFORM POWERED BY SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRICAL ENERGY AT GANDO IN TOGO

This article presents the sizing and economic analysis of a photovoltaic solar pumping system for an agricultural plateform in Gando in northern Togo. For the design of photovoltaic solar pumping system, hydraulic parameters (water flow and total head) are essential for the design of the system. For this purpose, a simple analytical method is developed for the design of photovoltaic solar pumping system. The developed model was used to determine the peak power of the PV generator and the power of the possible solar pump for a daily 70 cubic meter water flow. Considering the investment cost of photovoltaic solar pumping system, an analysis of the cost of pumping water from a well of 30 m total head was performed. We see that the cost of the cubic meter is US $0.12 against US $0.42 per cubic meter for pumping system using the electrical network.